Hey kids! Zena the Zookeeper here. Welcome to my cool new blog! Now you can read about my awesome zookeeping adventures at Oakland Zoo online.

You know what I love best about being a zookeeper? No, it’s NOT all the poop I have to shovel. What I love best is taking care of the sun bears. They’re so fun to watch, especially when they’re moving around their exhibit, searching and sniffing, climbing and clawing to find their food.

In case you didn’t already know, our bears are omnivorous (om-NIV-er-us). That means they eat a variety of food—meat as well as veggies, just like you do (okay, maybe with the exception of the meal worms!) And here at Oakland Zoo, we like to give them as much variety as possible. Here’s some of the fun food treats that the bears get every day:

SWEET MIX: made up of popcorn, dates, peanuts, raisins, coconut and Fruit Loops (the only cereal they like.)

FRUIT & VEGETABLES: like grapes, pineapple, melon and yams to make sure the bears have a well-balanced diet, which is as important for animals as it is for kids.

HOMEMADE RICE CAKES: cooked and mixed with fun flavors such as almond, coconut or maple syrup

PEANUT BUTTER: mixed with other treats, or big dabs of it on tree trunks, or leftover jars from home for them to lick clean with their long tongues.

But I don’t just toss this stuff in a bowl on the kitchen floor like you do with your pets at home. I hide it inside all kinds of fun containers that I put around the exhibit for the bears to find and explore with their tongues and claws, such as:

PLASTIC DRINK BOTTLES with grapes or raisins inside

HARD PLASTIC PLUMBING PIPES with holes drilled in them for getting at the treats

HOLLOW BAMBOO STALKS stuffed with small treats

PINE CONES smeared with sticky treats like peanut butter or honey

HOLLOW PLASTIC PET TOYS filled with treats and frozen into popsicles

HARD PLASTIC BOOMER BALLS I smear peanut butter or jam on the outside for them to lick off

I bet your meals at home aren’t this much fun. But your mom probably has enough work to do already, don’t you think? Luckily, I’ve got a lot of helpers here at the Zoo.

ZENA’S QUICK QUESTION: How many sun bears do we have at Oakland Zoo and what are their names?

The next time you come to the Zoo, be sure to check out the bear exhibit and you’ll find out the answer. Also, if you want to check in on the sun bears from home, did you know you can watch Oakland Zoo’s Sun Bear Cam? Here’s a link to it: http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Sun_Bear_Cam.php

You’ll also see how much fun it is to be an Oakland Zoo sun bear. Well, that’s all for now. This is Zena the Zookeeper saying “See you next time!

If you haven’t been by the Oakland Zoo’s bear exhibit recently you really need to come see the furnishings. Thanks to Natural Balance Pet Food and PETCO we were able to bring in large logs, by crane, and rebuild the structures.

Enjoying all this climbing

Many thanks to the Redwood Crane Company and ZooKeeper Jeff Kinzley for all of their hard work and to Colleen Kinzley for having the vision and seeing it through. The sun bears are thoroughly enjoying their new digs.

Tired out from all the climbing

Ting Ting is a little less enthusiastic than the little girls but she is making herself at home on the many level telephone pole structure. You will also see her walking the giant log across the pool in these pictures.

Checking out the new logs

We have always had the most spacious exhibit for sun bears and the most natural substrate but we were lacking complexity for these curious, busy bears. What a great step forward this is.